It was reported in the Singapore papers today that the heads of the Singapore Civil Defence Force (Peter Lim) and the Central Narcotics Bureau (Ng Choo Chay) have both been suspended and replaced, both of whom will be subject to investigations into their alleged corrupt practices ……. involving money and women!

I then recalled what former Singaporean PM, Lee Kuan Yew warned about a few years ago when asked to comment about the indifferent attitude and the lack of diligence and vigilance in today’s global society :-

“THE MOMENT KEY LEADERS ARE LESS THAN INCORRUPTIBLE, LESS THAN STERN IN DEMANDING HIGH STANDARDS, FROM THAT MOMENT THE STRUCTURE OF ADMINISTRATIVE INTEGRITY WILL WEAKEN AND EVENTUALLY CRUMBLE”

It was therefore a relief to know that the current crop of politicial leadership in Singapore still maintain that level of vigilance against something that can easily cause the ‘fall of a nation’.

I also recall vaguely reading about an incident when Lee Kuan Yew was PM ……. a Singaporean Minister ‘caught with his hands in the till’, committing suicide rather than face the wrath of the PM.

Besides Singapore, one could also find examples of leading political or corporate individuals being cast to the way-side once exposed for leading a life of duality ……. the darker side, being greedy for unjust monetary and materialistic gains!

Bernard Madoff comes immediately to mind …… and whose financial charade exposed the regulatory frailties of the Securities & Exchange Commission of the United States.

There was also former New York Attorney General, Elliot Spitzer, who exposed many fraudsters during his time …… but who was exposed himself for not being able to control his libido at the same time!

That’s the result of Spitzer taking the moral high ground with his own ‘excess baggage’!

There are many other examples to quote …. but what is of concern is that there are many who cling to their positions (of trust) in spite of damning revelations against those individuals.

The first that come to mind is of course, Shahrizat Jalil, a Malaysian (unelected) Minister in Najib’s Cabinet who was given the Women & Family portfolio.

No doubt, Shahrizat has now taken a leave of absence, pending investigations by a body that unfortunately has had its fair share of controversy ….. hence casting a significant discount to whatever its findings may ultimately be!

The damage has already been done and any subsequent findings of an independent accounting firm, after a perceived ‘clean up of the books’, will not offer any respite to the UMNO led government.

There is no reason to elaborate further ……. suffice to say that so long as the big fish and their hangers-on are able to get away with ‘blue murder’ ….. a country’s standing or rating on whatever basis or scale will ….. as mentioned by that old man….. weaken and eventually crumble.

Many companies and countries have and will continue to bear testimony to this!